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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

illlliiliijiiiiis'iiiir'ii iMiiiiiii iK'"i'T"ii"!HiMiii 



015 988 380 2 ^ 



THE 

Future National Bard, 



HER PRTITION WAS BUOUGHT BEFOUE CONCiKESS BY 



HDN, JOHN SHERMANj 



PRESIDENT OF THE U. S. SENATE. // 



Her Noviinntion has been Made by an Overwhelming Majoritij of 
Editors. 



A'' 



Copyr ghted August, Is.sii, by Sarah A Kelley, Tlie Bard of Slianty Ilili. 
ALL lilOnTS RESERVED. 



The Futqre National Bard, 



Sarah A. Kelley, whose no?ii-de-pIttiJie is The Bard of Shanty HilJ, 
was born at the romantic little village of Lanesboro, in the town of 
Harmony, Susquehanna Co., Pa., July i8, 1842, and is the seventh 
child of her parents. Her father, Philip Ulrich, was an honest Penn- 
sylvania German, who had been raised at Reading, Berks Co., Pa., 
while her mother's parents were Boston Yankees, who descended afar 
back from the French nation. Her grandfather, Levi Lovering, was 
a Worshipful Master of the Free Masons Lodge, and was duly hon- 
ored by a Free Mason's Funeral Rite, some twenty-nine years ago, 
in the State of Massachusetts. Her husband was also a Free 
Mason. Her great-grandfather on her mother's side was Ezra 
Eanies, who was the richest man at Boston in his time. Her 
other great-grandfather was a hero in the Revolutionary war. 

The Bard is a natural born Poetess, and sometimes wrote her 
compositions in poetry, when a child. When a young lady at the 
high school, she was frequently chosen editor of the paper of com- 
positions to write editorials for that paper. She was also chosen 
elocutionist to read the paper of compositions on Friday afternoons 
when the school had visitors, and was called the best elocutionist 
in the school at Susquehanna Depot, taught by Prof. Rogers. She 
was also called the best singer in the school, and led the singing. 
Her parents removed from Lanesboro to Susquehanna Depot when 
she was fourteen years old, and lived there until after the war. 

At the age of eighteen years she began teaching district school, 
and received the best diploma of any teacher in Susquehanna coun- 
ty. She was also graded the best of any teacher in the county in 
the art of teaching. 

At the age of twenty she married her husband, Horace Jackson 
Kelley, a very popular gentleman, (better known as California, or 



Jack Kelley, because he had amassed a large fortune at the Golden 
Gate a short time previous). Mr. Kelley fell in love with her at 
fust sight, at a teachers' examination, and was desirous of having 
their marriage take place when they had only been acquainted ten 
days. The lady did not marry him, however, until they had kept 
company about fourteen months. 

Their marriage took place July 4th, 1862, Rev. Pease, a Baptist 
minister, officiating. Mr. Kelley's mother was a very earnest 
Christian lady of the close communion Baptist persuasion, and al- 
though the Bard was not at that time a member of any church, she 
was idolized by her mother-in-law, who always spoke of her son's 
wife to her neighbors as being " the nearest to an angel of any one 
she had ever seen on earth." May she rest in peace. Mother-in- 
law's funeral eulogies, by Rev. R. G. Lamb, of Gibson, Susque- 
hanna county, Pa., were the best the writer has ever heard. 

Mrs. Kelley and her venerable mother, Mrs. Mary Ann Ulrich, 
are members of the Episcopal Church at Honesdale, Pa. Her 
father was also a member of that church for some years before he 
died. He had Episcopal and Grand Army services combined. 
The eulogies were very beautiful and he had the largest funeral the 
writer has seen during the seven years we have lived at Honesdale. 
He was the oldest veteran soldier in that town, having died at the 
age of 83 years, three years ago the 8th of last May, from an injury 
received on the march to the battle of Gettysburg, and was a very 
great sufferer for twenty years befere he died. Sergeant Kelley, 
the husband of the Bard, was also duly prepared for death by an 
Episcopal minister some four months before he died. 

Mr. Kelley, the husband of the Bard, was drafted when they had 
only b:en married about ten weeks; so he went to war and was 
elected Second Sergeant. 

He was the moneyed man of the company and gave his Captain 
lots and lots of money, a hundred dollars at a time, to buy provis- 
ions for all of them when they were starving on hard-tack down in 
Virginia. He rendered valiant service to the Government, was 



wounded once in the knee, in a skirmish, and was honorably dis- 
charged with the regiment, September 5th, 1863. He belonged to 
Co. E, 177th Penn'a Regiment. 

Sergeant Kelley contracted a derangement of mind while in the 
army. The Captain had to have him watched for about three 
weeks to keep him from committing suicide, and he was subject 
to insane spells all the rest of his life. For many years before he 
died he would have an insane fit whenever he came in presence of 
his wife, and made many attempts on her life while deranged in 
his mind. She had to hide away from him for many years before 
he died, to save her life, although he always idolized her when he 
was in his right mind, and he told people on his death bed that he 
had grieved himself to death because his wife had left him; but she 
had to leave him to save her life, because he drove her away, and 
would have killed her had she not gone. His physicians say he 
died of consumption, caused by sleeping on the ground in winter in 
Virginia, where they were stationed. He weighed 190 pounds 
when he went into the service, and was reduced to 160 that winter 
in the army; and he was ailing when he came home from war, 
with a cough, which ended in consumption, and he never recovered 
his flesh. He would have died of consumption from army life, even 
if he had not been deranged in mind, in the writers' opinion; and 
yet we might always have lived happily together during his life time, 
had it not been for that accursed disease called insanity, which he 
contracted while in the army, and which made more trouble than a 
thousand deaths would make; for there is no such trouble on earth 
as to be obliged to live in fear of being murdered by an insane hus- 
band. I was obliged to support myself for about eleven years or 
more before he died, for he would do nothing toward my support, 
even when he knew where I was, and came to my house to see me, 
and was sure to have a crazy fit and try to kill me before he left, so 
I kept my whereabouts unknown to him as much as I could. He 
died nine years ago, and I, a very feeble woman, am left with a 
son nearly twenty years of age, who is a sickly and dependent child. 



and a veiy great sufterer with curvature of the spine and rheuma- 
tism. The most of doctors think he can not live long, and I am 
without means to bury him, and he is likely to drop off at anytime. 

I am now engaged selling my Poems and Photographs to raise 
sufficient means to keep my crippled son and myself out of the poor 
house for a short time, while I am so sick that I ought to lie in bed, 
for I have not yet received my widow's pension, and am trying to 
have an act passed by Congress to have it paid without the other 
evidence, which never can be furnished. 

Sergeant Kelley was worth over fifty thousand dollars at the close 
of the war, and he gave away all of that entire fortune, while de. 
ranged in his mind from army life, before he died; and it is the duty 
of Congress to refund this money to his widow and crippled son and 
daughter. The latter, aged twenty-two years, is wearing out a 
miserable existence, working for The Scranton Corset Company, 
trying to support herself, while she ought to be living on the inter- 
est of what the Nation has so long owed us. The interest on what 
my insane husband squandered since his army life amounts io much 
more than the principal, and so the Government already owes us 
considerably more than a hundred thousand dollars at this time. 

And I hereby respectfully ask that august body, now assembled 
at Washington, D. C, to refund my losses, oral least some of the 
interest on the same, sufficient to place me and my family beyond 
the reach of want. I ask it in the name of all that I have suffered ; 
in the name of nine Hero friends, four having died to perpetuate 
this Government. And there is no greater honor than 

THE HONOR OF WAR. 
1. 

I am thinking, I am thinking, I am thinking, 
Of the days when my heart was young and light; 

Now my Hero friends are buried, I am sinking 
Neath untimely sorrow and affliction's blight. 



6 



ir. 

I Iiave buried all ihe nearest and the dearest, 
Who responded to the sound of bugle call; 

Brother, Father, Husband and his Brother dearest, 
Did fight the Nation's Battles and did fall. 

III. 
They are sleeping very sweetly in their glory, 

Very sweetly they are sleeping in the grave; 
To write the Nation's Ballads is my glory, 

For I came of a people very brave. 

IV. 

Let me ever sing praise to Fallen Heroes, 
Who fought the Nation's Battles in their day. 

I wept because I could not fight with Heroes 
In sixty-one, in my happy youthful day. 

V. 

Though it was not my lot to be a Fallen Hero, 
I was sought for National Bard to sing the rest; 

To sing the sweet memorial of the Hero, 
They say a feminine Bard is much the best. 

VI. 

All is well thit ends well, sang immortal Shakspeare, 
I am thankful that it is not any worse. 

Though in his time they did not Pension Shakspeare, 
They will Pension me in time rather terse. 

VII. 

In the Evening of my life they'll have me singing 
Of my Gallant Hero Friends, who died from War. 

Sweetly in the Nation's ear my notes are ringing, 
There's no greater honor than to die from War. 



7 
VLL SING THAT HAPPY BAND, 

A happy family once did sing, 

In sixty-one, in early spring, 

In Dixie's Land I'll take my stand, 

I'll fight till I die for my Northern Land, 

And then they went to Dixie's Land 

And fought the Nation's Battles grand. 

Nine Hero friends to war did go; 

For four the Nation's tears doth flow. 

One sleeps in a green grave on Gettysburg Hill, 

And all through that battle fought Brother Phil; 

Dear Father hath died from the march to that Battle, 

Where fell Brother Henry amid Canon rattle. 

Ai Honesdale you'll And my Vet'ran Father's grave, 

My family were all a people very brave. 

I wept myself, when I saw Brothers going to drill. 

For they would not enlist The Bard of Shanty Hill; 

So during all the War this Bard at home did stay, 

While her kindred won undying fame in the army in their day. 

And her Husband, Sergeant Kelly, hath done a noble deed. 
Lots of money gave his Captain, starving Comrades to feed; 
And later in the army he became deranged in mind, 
Then he gave away a very large fortune we find: 
My Crippled Son and I are left in greatest need. 
Suffering even more than slaves did before they were freed. 

Yet we suffer as true Patriots, e'en now I'm loyal still. 

And thank the Nation for remembering The Bard of Shanty Hill, 

And Nominating me for The National Bard, 

Whose kindred were all Heroes and died from battles hard; 

A happy Band of Heroes have gone down to Soldiers' graves. 

I'll write the Nation's Ballads, and sing Her Heroes Brave. 



..LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



^ 015 988 380 2 

OUR NATIONAL PRIDE. 

A hopeful people long had fought, 

To preserve the Union dearly bought; 

By the blood of my fore-fathers in Washington's Day, 

And in our late War, all my kindred marched away. 

They fought to quell Rebellion, and many of them died, 

This mem'ry will ever be our Nation's joy and pride; 

The Soldiers make the History of the Nation in their day, 

They are sleeping in their glory, Hero friends who've passed away. 

Sergeant Kelley was a man who'll be remembered evermore. 
He often gave his Captain a hundred dollars or more 
To buy provisions for the Company, when starving on hard-tack; 
My Crippled Son and I are needy now. Congress ought to pay me 
back. 

The Government owes me a hundred thousand dollars or more 
Husband squandered since deranged in mind on fair Potomac shore; 
I'll thank Congress very kindly, when this honest debt they pay 
The Bard of Shanty Hill, whose fame shall never fade away. 

August 9th, i886. 

A POET-LAUREATE. 

Think not dame fortune evermore will slight us, 
Though for a long time she did hide her face, 
A Poet-Laureate in future shall delight us. 

Sweet gems of Poetry shall the Capitol grace. 

One when living amid wealth surrounding 

Assumed the pen-name of The Bard of Shanty Hill, 

Whose fame to the end of the earth is now resounding. 
Whose works the largest volume extant soon will fill. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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015 988 380 2 



